A Different Beginning
by RayvnAshes2
Summary: How would the story have gone if Layla Heartfilia had survived, and Jude was the one to pass away when Lucy was a kid? Would she have been encouraged to strengthen her magic? Woud she gain a few siblings in one way or another? Learn about the One Magic, perhaps? Will include GajeelxLevy later on. 'ABANDONED FOR NOW'
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**Summary: What if Layla Heartfilia had survived her illness, and instead it was Lucy's father who had died? What changes would this bring about, growing up in a household where your surviving parent wasn't so reluctant that you learn and strengthen your magic?**

**Enjoy!**

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"Lucy!" Layla Heartfilia called, pulling her beautiful blonde locks into a simple bun. She heard footsteps racing towards her, before there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Come on in, sweetie."

With that, the door opened, and Layla turned to face the little blonde girl who looked exactly like her mother, even at three years old.

"Mama!" Lucy cried with a wide grin, launching forward to give her mother a hug. She had been so very worried about her mother, who had fallen ill with a terrible sickness, but then Layla had miraculously gotten better, and the family doctors swore up and down that the sickness wouldn't come back.

Layla returned the hug just as tightly, leaning down to swoop her daughter into her arms, straightening up and twirling the little girl in a circle, reveling in her daughter's delighted giggles.

'I'm so very lucky.' Layla thought to herself, closing her eyes as she hugged her daughter even tighter. 'To think, if I had gotten worse, I probably wouldn't have had much more time with her…'

Layla's spirits looked down upon the heartwarming scene from the Spirit World, relieved that their friend and mistress wouldn't be taken from them any time soon.

* * *

Four years later…

Lucy cried silently as she watched her father's coffin being lowered into the unforgiving ground.

Jude Heartfilia had been traveling to another city to negotiate a contract for the family business, but his carriage had been attacked by bandits, and had been killed trying to protect the young daughter of one of his business associates.

Michelle Lobster, the young girl in question, had been inconsolable, and the two girls had bonded over their grief for Lucy's father. Lucy almost wanted to hate the girl who her father had died protecting, but her parents had taught her better than that. Instead, she decided to embrace the other girl, wanting to keep her safe as her father had tried to do.

Over time, the Heartfilia family became close friends with the Lobster family, unaware of the changes that that one connection might bring.

* * *

Far away, three young children cried out for their missing parents, not knowing that they wouldn't see them for many, many years to come.

* * *

"Come on, Michelle!" Lucy shouted with an excited grin, laughing as she teased her best friend. The two were played tag around the Heartfilia property, and Michelle was currently 'It'.

"Lucy!"

Lucy stopped immediately, alarmed. Michelle's shout had been rather urgent, and so the blonde raced towards her friend, and followed the other girl's gaze to see what had caught her attention.

It was two children, one of them a few years older than they were, and the second a few years younger. The two had blue hair (in different shades), and one of them had a strange red tattoo under his right eye.

The worrying part was that they were unconscious.

"Shellie, go get my momma." Lucy said, once she'd come out of her shock at the scene. Michelle ran off towards the house as quickly as she could…

* * *

"Girls, this is Jellal and Wendy." Layla introduced the children. "Jellal, this is my daughter, Lucy, and her best friend, Miss Michelle."

A few hours had passed since the girls found the other children unconscious, and once Layla had gotten to them, she had brought them inside, having the family physician look to make sure that they were alright. Immediately, the family seamstress had put together a few outfits for the children, who were wearing old, threadbare clothes that had clearly seen better days, and had fed a light lunch to the thin children. Apparently they had been living on their own for a while.

"Hello, Jellal." Lucy greeted the boy with a kind smile and a graceful curtsy. She would have done the same to Wendy, but the girl had quickly fallen asleep after she ate, and none of them had the heart to wake her. "It's nice to meet you!" Michelle repeated the sentiment.

Jellal nodded uncertainly, glancing towards Wendy and biting his lip.

That was how the Heartfilia household found themselves with a new permanent resident: Wendy.

Jellal had explained to Layla, or _Miss Heartfilia_, as he insisted on calling her, that he had a job to do, and that he was worried for Wendy's safety, as the job was a bit dangerous. He had been considering taking the little girl (who it turned out was _not_ his kid sister, as they had initially assumed) to a magic guild, but upon meeting Layla and Lucy, and seeing their interactions with each other, realized that a structured household might be better for her.

Layla immediately agreed, saying that the both of them were welcome to stay, but Jellal had work to do. So, with tears and much reluctance from all of them, especially Wendy, he left, with a communication lacrima so that he could keep in touch, along with some money and a bit of food for the road.

That was the last time the girls would see him in person for many years.

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**Please Review!**

**Yes, Michelle Lobster is the girl that...well, she's a canon character. If I say pretty much anything, I'll spoil it. So yeah, she's an actual person, though she isn't a mage.**

**We'll see more of Edo-Jellal/Mystogan later, I promise. He'll be a bit more present than in the anime, at least.**


	2. Guild Brawl

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Fairy Tail. Good thing, too-I would royally screw it up.**

**Enjoy!**

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Nearly ten years later, a pair of girls glanced up at a large building nervously, each waiting for the other to take that first step.

When she realized that Wendy wasn't about to do so, Lucy took a deep breath, and gently opened the door…

Only to find chaos on the other side.

It was an all-out brawl! Barrels of beer smashing against the walls, pillars threatening to crumble under the force of both magical and physical blows, flying tables and chairs…

"Wendy! Lucy!" a voice squealed from somewhere in the crowd.

The two sisters (or as close as they could be without actually being related) turned as one towards the voice, and saw a trio of white-headed teenagers around their age waving at them with happy grins.

"Mira! Lis! Elfman!" the girls shouted, making their way to their friends.

They had met them the year before, when the siblings were on an S-Class mission to defeat a monster. Elfman had tried to use his Take Over magic to subdue it, but lost control, and Lisanna was nearly killed because of it. The two girls had been passing through the town and saw the battle, and Wendy had managed to save Lisanna's life, though she was still severely injured and was hospitalized.

Wendy stayed with the older girl the entire time, lending her strength via her healing magic whenever she could, and the five had become close friends, with Mirajane and Elfman extremely thankful that the girls had been around. They were so close to losing their sister…

It had taken quite a while for the two older Strauss siblings to stop blaming themselves for the incident, and even then, the two had both gone through a major personality change. Rude and slightly evil Mira had become sweet and kind, and tentative Elfman had gained a new determination to master his magic. However, the two had both gone through a period where they were afraid to use their magic, in fear of causing their sister pain again, but the sweet and forgiving Lisanna had kicked their butts into gear.

"Who are you?" a redhead asked bluntly, having observed the two younger girls excitedly chatting with the Strauss siblings. Her own rivalry with Mira had more or less deteriorated, but she was still curious.

"Oh, Erza!" Mira exclaimed in surprise, before smiling happily at the other girl. "Of course, how rude of me. This is Lucy Heartfilia, and her younger adoptive sister, Wendy Marvell!"

"It is an honor to meet the two of you." Erza said, nodding her head respectfully, recognizing the girls' names. "You have our deepest gratitude for helping young Lisanna. You have spared us much sorrow and grief."

"Um…not at all" Wendy squeaked, slightly intimidated. The older girl had a serious and solemn look on her face, and she was wearing an armor breastplate and carrying a sword on her hip. "I was happy to help, really!"

"Of course." Erza's eyes softened as she looked into the distance, before shaking her head sharply and focusing on the girls again. "Regardless, thank you. I am forever in your debt."

With that, the girl walked out of the guild hall.

As one, Wendy and Lucy turned to their friends, confused as to what had just happened.

"That was Erza." Lisanna explained with a grin. "Though, I guess people know her as Titania, these days. Anyway, she's really something, isn't she?"

"That's one way of putting it." Lucy said after a moment.

"She's a good person, but yeah, she's kind of intense." Lisanna said with a laugh. "Kind of like Mira-nee when she's angry!"

"That's a terrifying thought." Lucy returned, shuddering jokingly when Mira sent a smirk her way. "They call you the She-Demon now, right?"

Mirajane nodded, giggling slightly. "Yes, I have heard that, I think."

"And what an accurate title it is." Elfman shouted proudly. "My big sis is a man!"

"Um…" Wendy was confused.

"Don't worry, it's a compliment." A voice from behind explained, and the group turned to a girl about their age with beautiful brown hair and purple eyes. "He calls everyone a man; he doesn't seem to realize that women are just as awesome."

"No, he's well aware of that." A girl with light blue hair and green eyes said from beside her, looking up from her novel. "He was raised by Mira, after all. I think it's more like he doesn't see it as a gender thing at all, so by his definition, anyone can 'be a man'."

The others nodded in understanding, even Lucy and Wendy. They were well aware of the respect Elfman had for his sisters.

"Anyway, I'm Levy!" the blue-haired said with a grin, leaning forward to shake Lucy and Wendy's hands. "I'm a Solid-Script mage."

"And I'm Cana." The other girl said with a wave, picking up a tankard of beer and taking a slow sip, as if savoring the flavor.

"Cana." Mirajane said, slightly disapproving.

"Don't worry, I won't get drunk again." The girl assured with a pout, eager for the day when Mira would stop limiting her alcohol intake and accept that Cana had a bit of a drinking problem, even at seventeen. "_Anyway…_I use Card magic." She said to the two girls.

"Lucy." The blonde said with a grin. "I tend to stick with Celestial Spirit magic."

"Wendy." The younger blunette chirped from Lucy's side. "I'm a Sky Dragon Slayer."

Suddenly, the guild was quiet.

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**Please review!**

**I'll fill in the more important stuff that happened with Wendy and Lucy later on. And Michelle will make a few appearances later, too.**

**Also, note that the two girls join Fairy Tail earlier than they did in canon. Not only is Wendy there and joins at the same time as Lucy, but they knew where they were going, so they weren't traveling for a year like Lucy did when she ran away in the original version. So this is about a year after Lisanna **_**would have**_** died, two years after Karen Lilica was killed by Angel, and a year before all of the crazy shit started happening.**

**A year to strengthen their bonds with their guild-mates and become stronger before they're thrown into a mess of constant fighting for their lives and the lives of the people that they care about.**

**Questions about what keys Lucy has, and how she 'tends to stick with' her Celestial Spirit magic will be answered later. And yes, that means she knows how to use a different type of magic, too. Nothing too fancy, but it's useful, at least.**


	3. Welcome to Fairy Tail!

**Disclaimer: Don't own Fairy Tail. Why is it required that authors put this **_**every chapter**_**? It hasn't changed!**

**Note: Sorry guys, I kind of forgot Carla last chapter! Don't worry, this one includes an explanation of where she is. And the explanation of why Lucy is joining a magic guild when the main reason she did so in the original universe was to get away from her cold father will be coming in the next few chapters as well.**

**Enjoy!**

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"Dragon Slayer?!" the guild shouted excitedly.

Lucy immediately put herself between her younger sister and the crazy guild members, who all seemed to clamber towards them at once.

"Y-Yes!" Wendy answered shakily, not having expected such a reaction. "I'm…I'm sorry?"

"There's no need to be sorry, Wendy." Mirajane said gently from behind the bar, though she glared a bit at the others for scaring the poor girl. "They're just surprised. We have our own Dragon Slayer here in the guild, so you won't be the only one."

"Won't be the only one?" Gray muttered, eyebrows raised. "So, these two are joining, then?"

Everyone looked towards Lucy at the question, as she was the older of the two.

"Um…well, we were kind of hoping we could join." She said meekly, hoping that they weren't going to laugh in their faces. After all, this was _Fairy Tail,_ the best guild in all of Fiore! For all she knew, they were selective in their members...

"Well of course you can, silly!" Lisanna laughed, grabbing something from behind the bar before coming back towards her friends. "Now, where do you want your guild mark?" she asked, holding up the stamp with a grin.

"It's that easy?!" Lucy asked, surprised, but she indicated her right hand and said 'pink' when Lisanna asked her what color she wanted. After hers was done, Wendy got hers in blue on her right arm.

"Yup!" Lisanna answered, and the guild cheered for their new numbers.

"Hopefully this one's not as trigger-happy as Natsu." Gray said, before shrugging and joining in.

* * *

"Hey Wendy, when is Carla supposed to arrive, again?" Lucy asked, missing the voice of reason amidst all of the chaos that apparently Fairy Tail was filled with.

"Tomorrow." Wendy answered, having similar thoughts. "She had another dream last night, and she wanted to go verify that it would come true like the others."

"Do you really think that she's clairvoyant?" Mirajane asked curiously. After all, Carla was like Happy, and he only had his Aera magic.

"Yes." Both girls answered immediately, before Lucy continued. "Her dreams have saved us a lot of trouble throughout the years."

* * *

From across the room, an orange-haired boy looked on in shock, taking in the blonde girl, who had over a dozen silver and gold keys attached to her belt, though it was a certain gold key that really caught his interest.

He knew that this wasn't the girl who had killed Karen Lilica, his old master, because he couldn't sense any death radiating from her, so how had she come into ownership of that key?

More importantly, how did she treat those contracted to her?

* * *

From the Spirit World, where Lucy's contracted spirits (and more importantly her _friends_) watched her and her sister join the Fairy Tail guild, Aries gasped in shock, catching a glimpse of someone she had resigned herself to never seeing again.

Her eyes quickly became wet with happy tears, relieved that his banishment for protecting her hadn't killed him.

Yet, anyway.

She would need to speak to Lucy, as soon as possible. If there was anyone who could save him, it would be her.

Leo was the strongest of the Zodiacs, but even he couldn't stay in the mortal realm forever. Who knew how much time he had left?

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**Please review. :)**

**Yup, Aries is in Lucy's possession! Any guesses why? And I know I wrote her to be less timid than she acts in canon, but my reasoning is that more time with Lucy treating her as a **_**person**_** who is worth more than a simple tool or shield helped with her confidence and , and she didn't have to be contracted with Angel for as long and have to deal with her manipulative ways.  
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**By the way, there is no way I'm going to be able to post as often as I have today. Three chapters within a few hours of each other? I wouldn't get used to it. Nonetheless, I'm going to try and update fairly often, though I make no promises. I tend to get new ideas a lot, start a story based on that premise, and then it goes nowhere because my ability to actually _plan_ a story is nonexistent. **


	4. Layla's Legacy

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Later on, once Lucy and Wendy had rented a room in a local hotel for the night, they cuddled together on the large and comfortable bed.

"I miss them." Wendy murmured finally.

Lucy ran a hand over her sister's hair soothingly. "Don't worry, Wen. Carla will get here tomorrow, and it's not like we'll never see momma or Shellie again. Momma promised that she would visit on both of our birthdays, and Michelle hinted at visiting at some point, too."

"Still." Wendy said with a sigh.

"I know." Lucy whispered, feeling a bit homesick herself. "I know…"

She glanced at the key ring that she had set on her bedside table, focusing on the three keys that were her mother's legacy.

* * *

_*Flashback*_

_Lucy's eyes bulged in shock as she stared at her mother, vaguely noticing Wendy and Carla's own wide eyes. "What do you mean you're retiring as a mage?!" she demanded, confused, once she processed what had been said._

"_My magic is starting to strain my body." Layla admitted with a sigh. "Apparently I never completely got over that illness I had when you were a little girl. The doctors recommended that I use magic as little as possible, and I decided that it would be best for me to retire altogether. Not only that, but I do have the Konzern to think about; this will give me more time to deal with that."_

_The girls' eyes widened again, this time in horror. Wendy and Carla had been told about that, and of course Lucy remembered that time of her life as the scariest thing that she had ever gone through. She had been terrified that she would lose her mother, and even after Layla got better, her dad had been killed._

"_But…the doctors promised that it was gone!" Lucy said, tears streaming down her face._

"_It was, at the time at least." Layla said gently._

"_What about Capricorn? Cancer? Aquarius?" Lucy asked desperately, praying that at the very least the spirits would go to an owner who would treat them right. "Have you told them yet?"_

"_I have." Layla answered, eyes sad. "They weren't happy, especially Aquarius, but Capricorn managed to make her understand that I had to break my contracts with them if I want to stay alive. That illness almost took my life last time."_

_Lucy nodded sadly, trying to hold back her tears. Layla had been contracted with the three Zodiac spirits for years, and she couldn't imagine what it would feel like for that to suddenly go away. The thought of parting with her own spirits, Taurus, Lyra, Horologium, Crux, and Lupus sent a pang through her heart._

_Seeing how much this was affecting Lucy, Wendy gently took hold of one of her surrogate sister's hands, giving it a comforting squeeze. _

"_As for who their next 'master' will be…" Layla began, before smiling slightly at her daughter. "They have agreed to make a contract with you, if you will have them."_

_Lucy suddenly felt breathless, hoping that this was real. The spirits that she had basically grown up with wouldn't be given to someone who would treat them as tools or shields? _

"_I-I would be honored." She answered finally, voice cracking slightly._

_Wendy and Layla beamed at her, while Carla smiled gently. _

_*End Flashback*_

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**Please review!**


	5. Meeting Natsu

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Three days later, a pink-haired boy crashed through the door of the guild hall, a flying blue cat hurrying after him.

"Don't worry, Natsu, we'll find him." Happy said, patting his partner on the head as the mage dropped into a chair, letting his head rest on the table.

"I take it he wasn't there?" Lisanna asked sympathetically as she wiped the glasses behind the bar.

Happy shook his head. "No, just a fire wyvern."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Natsu." Lisanna said with a sigh, patting her friend's head like Happy. "Are you hungry?" she asked hopefully. He always felt better on a full stomach.

"Sure, thanks." Natsu finally spoke up, raising his head to glance at his friend. "A beer, I guess. Oh! And a meat-kabob flambé!" He finished, already cheering up.

"Coming right up." Lisanna said with a laugh.

* * *

A few hours later, Natsu was noticeably more cheerful. Nothing like being around family to make you feel better.

When the door opened, he glanced up absently, and was surprised to see two girls he didn't recognize walk inside and walk up to the bar, only a few seats from where he was sitting.

The older one was blonde, with her hair up in a side ponytail with a light blue bow, and large brown eyes. She was wearing a white tank top, a cropped denim jacket, and dark blue jeans. She also wore pink heart earrings and a belt with a whip and a few strange gold and silver keys on it.

Next to her was a girl a few years younger, with long dark blue hair kept down, going to her lower back. She also had brown eyes, though hers were a slightly different shade than the blonde's. She wore a light green sundress with detached sleeves, paired with white sandals.

"I see you've noticed our new members." Lisanna said with a smile as she noticed what had caught the other teen's attention.

"New members?" Natsu asked, focusing on his friend and wondering what it was about both of the girls' scents that had caught his attention.

"Mm." Lisanna hummed. "Come on, I'll introduce you!"

With that, she grabbed the Fire Dragon Slayer's hand, yanking him in the direction of the newcomers.

* * *

"Another Dragon Slayer?!" Natsu gasped after Wendy introduced herself.

"Yes, she is. Is there a problem with that?" Lucy stared at the pinkette expectantly.

"Are you kidding?!" Natsu shouted with a wide grin. "I'm a Dragon Slayer too! What's your element?"

"Um…well, I'm the Sky Dragon Slayer, so I eat the air." Wendy said quietly.

"Wow!" Natsu sat back. "That's got to be cool! You practically have an unlimited supply whenever you want it!" He admitted.

"I-I suppose." Wendy said awkwardly with a slight shrug.

"So who taught you?" Natsu asked, getting the hint (for once) that she was uncomfortable.

"Grandeeney, the Sky Dragon." Wendy answered with a fond smile. "I haven't seen her in years."

"I was taught by Igneel, the Fire Dragon." Natsu said, before frowning. "Grandeeney…I don't suppose she disappeared one day?"

Both girls looked at him in shock.

"Y-yes." Wendy looked like she was about to cry. "She didn't even say a word, I just woke up one day and she was gone."

"Igneel did, too." Natsu nodded. "When did she disappear?"

"Um…let's see." Wendy frowned. "I was on my own until I made a friend who helped me, so I'm not entirely sure…about 777, I think? Probably in July…"

"7/7/777." Natsu said, eyes wide. " That's probably the same day Igneel disappeared!"

"Why would they both have left at the same time?" Lucy wondered aloud. Natsu and Wendy looked at each other, both unsure.

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**Please review!  
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